WOODBURY, N.J. (AP) — A judge has sentenced a New Jersey man to eight years in prison for stalking and threatening his ex-girlfriend.

Jose Ortiz was convicted in April of stalking, threatening to kill and burglary. The 33-year-old is originally from New Britain, Connecticut, but had been living recently in Camden.

In a statement by the Woodbury woman that was read in court during Friday’s sentencing, she said Ortiz had beaten her in front of her three children and cut off her hair. She said she fled with the children one day while Ortiz slept, and spent nine months in a battered women’s shelter.

Ortiz must serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole. He is also permanently barred by court order from any contact with the woman or her children.